We've All Made Promises
by Midie
Summary: An old friend from the past returns. This is going to bring up some tough memories for one of the two brothers.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: A new story by me. Okay, this one is part of a trilogy, so if you hate something by this story's end, don't worry, it may change. MAY change. I don't want to give too much away, so let's just begin. You saw the summary on the list.

Thanks a bunch to Allie who read the prologue before anyone else and helped me make it sound "correct" for the age of the two who are speaking. Yes, it's short. Whenever I write prologues, they are normally very short, but the chapters get longer from here. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

She sat on the porch swing, letting it softly rock her back and forth. How was she going to tell him? He'd already been through a lot. She had cried the night before, but she felt the tears in her eyes again, as she waited to tell him what was going to happen. He'd be here soon, and she wasn't sure how to tell him. 

The fifth-grade girl couldn't comprehend why she had to leave her best friend behind. It didn't seem fair to her. Then again, nothing like this seemed fair to an eleven-year-old.

He walked up the steps of her porch now. She glanced up at him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's nothing good."

"I guessed that. You look like you've been crying."

She hated to tell him this. He had just been through something really bad, and now she had to tell him that she, his best friend, was going to leave.

"I'm moving," she said quietly.

"You're what?" he asked.

"Moving."

"Oh," he replied. He sat down next to her on the swing. Now that he was on it, it rocked a little more. "When?"

"Next week," she replied. "Dad got a better job at the office in San Francisco."

"Oh," he replied again.

"I'm scared we won't remember each other," she said.

The boy's small brown eyes filled with tears. It wasn't fair.

"Well," he said. "We just have to try and remember." He leaned over and softly kissed her on the lips. She looked surprised. He had never done that before. It was unexpected but nice. The little girl heard her mother calling her.

"I have to go inside now," she said. "It's not fair. I might not see you again."

"No," he replied. "I promise we'll find each other. Then we'll be together again forever and happy. We can even get married," he laughed.

She smiled at him.

"I promise," he said.

* * *

A/N: Okay, how did you like it? Please review. 


	2. Chapter One: Remember Me?

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: I promised a longer chapter, and here it is. I'm worried things go a little too quickly in the story, but I didn't know how else to do it, so let me know if they do. This is not just a romance story. I didn't even put romance in the genre. This is more of a story of growing up and changing ways, thus the "Drama/Angst" genres. Actually, this was originally going to be a romance, but I went in a different direction, and well, here it is. Most of you know I love two things in my stories even when they're drama...humor and song lyrics. So, there will be light-hearted moments and song lyrics thrown in somewhere. As I said, this is a part of a trilogy. This will probably end up being the shortest story in the trilogy. As it stands now it consists of 12 chapters (13 if you count the prologue). That may change if you guys leave reviews and I think something needs to be changed or if I think something seriously needs to be added.Anyhoo, here's the first chapter...and we fast forward six years to a typical Drake moment.

_Chapter One - Remember Me?_

* * *

"No, Drake. It doesn't work that way," Josh said, walking into the house after school. 

"Well, why not?" Drake asked Josh.

"Because...look, it just doesn't okay?"

"But, I told her I was..."

"Drake! It doesn't matter whether or not you were sorry. You do not EVER confuse two twins. There's never a good excuse for it!"

"Whatever. At least their brother didn't attack me like he said he would. And I got to kiss both of them," Drake smirked.

"You're terrible, you know that?" Josh asked his step-brother.

Drake didn't hear this though. He had headed into the kitchen for a snack right away. Josh shook his head and headed up the stairs to change for work. He headed out the door a few minutes later.

Drake had grabbed a bag of chips and a Mocha Cola and headed into the living room to watch television. He paused at the sight of a girl sitting on the couch. Drake looked a bit confused, but that soon subsided. He decided to turn on the Drake Parker charm.

"I guess I'm in the wrong house because nobody as attractive as you lives here...except me," he said.

"Well, you've become quite the charmer, haven't you?" said the girl, laughing.

"What?" asked Drake.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about me," the girl replied, looking slightly hurt.

"Uh..." said Drake. He glanced at the girl. He hadn't really taken in her features, but now he looked and saw her eyes were a pretty green, and her hair was red. Not too red but brighter than his auburn hair.

"Come on, Drake. I figured you'd remember me for sure," the girl continued.

Drake finally placed her. To him, there was no mistaking those green eyes.

"Christine?"

"Took you long enough," she laughed. She stood up and gave him a hug. Drake embraced her tightly. He hadn't seen this girl in six years. His best friend had finally come back.

"Sorry, it's just been so long. I didn't expect to see you sitting in my parents' living room," he said when they broke their hug. It was true. The last time he saw her, they were only in fifth grade. Then she moved away. Then they'd basically lost touch. "Honestly, I could never forget you."

Christine blushed.

"Why are you back in San Diego?" he asked.

"I moved back here with my mom," she replied, looking at the floor.

"Oh," he said. She hadn't mentioned her dad. The way she glanced at the floor, though, he decided to find out about that later. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked her.

"Sure," she replied. "Some water?"

"No problem," Drake replied.

Drake got up to head back to the kitchen. He turned around.

"Hey, if you need anything else, just say so," he said.

"Thanks," she replied.

Drake walked into the kitchen. His mom came in a few seconds later.

"You found Christine, I guess?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah," Drake replied.

"Maybe you can give her a hand, Drake. Her parents divorced, and now she came back here with her mom."

The word "divorce" rang in Drake's ears. He bit his lip. He recalled when his mom and dad divorced. He'd hated it. Nobody had understood then. At the time Christine, the girl now sitting on the sofa, had tried to be there for him, but she just didn't understand and could only be his friend as she had always been. Drake hadn't cared. When he played with her, he felt like a normal kid again and also that the problems at home didn't exist. Until he went back to them anyway. Then his parents finally split. In a way, it was a blessing. There was no more fighting, no more yelling. Then again, he lost part of him. His dad moved, correction, ran out to New York, and Drake hadn't seen him in years. It was depressing, and then to top off everything, Christine moved away. He lost his dad and his best friend all in less than a year. He tried to keep in touch with both of them at first, but it didn't work. He and Christine were young, and his dad just didn't appear to want to make an effort anymore.

"Yeah, mom," he said. "I'll try."

* * *

Drake handed Christine a bottle of water as he headed back into the living room. She had been looking at a few pictures. 

"Your mom got married again," she said.

"Yeah," Drake replied.

"And you got a new brother," she commented, staring at a picture of Josh.

"Yep," said Drake.

"Is he nice?" she asked.

"Josh? Oh, yeah. Kinda geeky, but he's a great guy."

"I see," she said.

"Drake, Christine," called Audrey, "I'm going to the store. I have to get a few things for dinner tomorrow night. I'll be back later."

"Okay, Mom," Drake called back. He glanced back at Christine.

"Your mom invited me and my mom over to dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh," he replied.

"So," she said, "anything else new?"

"You know," said Drake. "You grow up..."

"Uh-huh," she replied. "I've been doing a lot of that lately, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to catch up with you."

"Why don't we head up to my room then? I've still gotta put my stuff up there."

"Okay," she replied, following him up the stairs. "Wow," she said. "This looks different."

"Well, Josh's stuff is here now," he responded.

"Yeah, I guess so." She glanced across the room. "I see you haven't lost interest in the guitar."

"No way," Drake responded.

"So all that frustrating practice paid off?"

"Yeah," Drake replied.

"I remember how bad you were at first," she said, laughing.

"Oh, really?" he said. "I'm awesome now. I have a band."

"That means nothing," she said. "Prove it." She sat down, crossing her arms and smiling.

"Fine," he said. She'd always been like this. A bit competitive and, at times, a little feisty, at least around him. He was glad to see that it hadn't changed. Around other people she was shy and kept to herself. He'd always hoped she'd grow out of that. "Prepare to be amazed..."

* * *

Drake went to the Premiere after Christine left. He walked up to the snack counter where Josh was working like he normally did. 

"Hey," said Josh. "Mom told me about your friend Christine when I called her when I was on break."

"Oh," said Drake. He was a bit phased and out of it since Christine left. His mom bringing up divorce had given his system a jolt, mostly because he hated to think about it and always tried to avoid it. It was silly to be bothered by it. It happened six years ago. Nothing was going to change it, so why worry about it? He hadn't worried about it when he was spending time with Christine though. It hit him again when she left. The words just echoed through his head. He couldn't understand why.

"What's the story with you two? Was she like your first girlfriend or something?" asked Josh, with a smirk on his face.

"No," said Drake, annoyed by the question. He had never tried any kind of relationship like that with Christine. Then again, there was their...well, that didn't matter now. But Drake often wondered if they'd gotten to middle school together, would things have turned out differently? "She was my best friend for years until fifth grade. Then she moved away not too long after my parents divorced and my dad left."

"Oh," said Josh. Drake never talked about what happened to his parents. Josh didn't blame him. It was probably terrible to have to come home from school each day to parents who argued and blamed one another for the family's problems. Josh hadn't had to live through fighting like that. His mom died. He had grieved, and although he still missed her, he knew she was still there, just not physically. Everything was okay, and Audrey understood how Josh felt about his mother. Things were okay. It probably really hurt Drake to know that his father was alive but never made an effort to see him. Audrey had told Josh one day that Drake had tried, but he gave up when his dad quit responding. Drake never talked about it, so Josh didn't know much beyond that. Josh decided to stray away from that topic so Drake didn't flip out in front of everyone. "So, you were best friends? How did you meet her?"

"Oh, you know," Drake said, "preschool...monkey bars. Then again, at that time, I thought she had cooties. For whatever reason she always wanted to play with me. Mom finally explained one day that girls don't have cooties. Then I let her hang out with me. I guess after that, we were inseparable. Until her parents moved."

"Wow," said Josh. "_You_ thought girls had cooties?"

"Shh. Would you keep it down?" Drake asked. "You're going to ruin me."

"Yeah, sure," Josh responded. "Well, cool that you get to see her again. Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah," said Drake. "I guess." He wasn't exactly keen on Christine seeing how he'd changed over the years. He wasn't the little boy she used to know. He wondered how much she'd changed as well. Was she the same girl he once knew? If her parents' divorce bothered her the way his parents' had, then she had probably changed. Then again, she was six years older than he had been when he went through this. Maybe she hadn't been hurt as much. And, then again, he had no idea on what terms her parents had divorced, and if Christine's mom had picked her up and moved her back to San Diego...well, he'd wait until she wanted to tell him. If she wanted to tell him. They hadn't gotten too far into catching up when Christine was there. After Drake had showed her he could play the guitar a lot better than when he was first learning, they'd started talking about his music. She was going to school tomorrow. She'd see how much he'd changed then, and that scared him.

* * *

A/N: A lot of information there, but I wanted you to know why Drake sympathizes with Christine. This is also going to explain why Drake does some of the things he does later in the story. I just realized that the twin thing was a bit similar to the plane incident in "Drake & Josh Go Hollywood." I didn't mean for that to happen, but it is something Drake Parker would do. 


	3. Chapter Two: The New Him

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: No romance...well, would it be a story of mine if no romantic conflict was involved? So, something works it's way in there, but it's not the point to the story. No, not this one. However, you do get to learn a tiny bit about these twins that Drake "accidently" ended up dating at the same time. Also my take on his friends...oh, yes, appearances from Mitch (who quit Drake's band to join his church choir) and Michael (who was in the Pool Shark episode...Shawn Pyfrom's character...thank you those two? Because I felt like it. Oh, yeah, Taylor will also show up too. I loved him and the headphones thing.

* * *

Drake sat on his desk before class started. It was strange for him to be in Mrs. Haifer's class early, but he did not want to end up in remedial English a third time, so he made sure he was early. He was talking to Taylor, who wasn't exactly listening because he was wearing his headphones yet again. 

"So then I told her I was sorry," said Drake.

Taylor continued dancing to his music.

"Dude, are you listening?"

Taylor glanced up at Drake.

"What?" he asked.

Drake shook his head.

"Never mind..."

"What?" asked Taylor again, a little louder.

Drake rolled his eyes.

Mrs. Haifer walked into the room.

"I know I've said this before, but I'm not lying, Taylor, put your headphones away or I will sell them on the internet. Drake, get off of the desk and into your chair before I sell you on the internet."

"Well good morning to you too," Drake muttered.

"Okay, class," said Mrs. Haifer, beginning things. "Today, we will..." she paused as a red-headed girl stood in the doorway. "Oh, I'm sorry. Class, we have a new student. This is Christine Baylor. She just moved here from San Francisco, but you are originally from San Diego, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Christine replied. She didn't like the attention she was getting. She had been through it once already when she moved to San Francisco. She felt like everyone was staring at her. It was worse in high school than in elementary school. Now everyone sized you up to see if you "fit in" or were an outcast. She decided middle school would have been the worst place to start new like this though. You were judged on appearance, like high school, but at least in high school the cliques were formed and you could try to find your place. In middle school, you didn't know where you belonged at all.

"Well, now we need somewhere for you to sit," said Mrs. Haifer, glancing around the room. The only seat open was in front of Drake. "I guess you'll sit in front of Mr. Parker. I apologize right now," she said, touching Christine's arm. "Drake, would you please raise your hand?"

"That's okay," Christine said. She quickly headed to the open seat.

Mrs. Haifer went through the papers on her desk.

"Class, I'll be back in a moment. I seem to have misplaced the assignment for today. It's probably still in my car. Don't do anything foolish while I'm gone. That means you, Drake."

Mrs. Haifer left the room. Taylor grinned and slipped his headphones back on his ears.

Drake cracked a smile at Taylor and leaned forward to talk to Christine.

"You look like you're on death row. Come on, it's not that bad," he laughed.

"I'm just nervous," Christine replied. "It's hard enough going to a new elementary school. It's something else entirely to go to a new high school."

"Don't worry about it."

Across the room Mindy was watching Drake talk to Christine.

"He's going to corrupt the new girl before she even gets the chance to be warned," said Mindy, shaking her head.

"Well, technically," said Josh, "they know each other already."

"What?" asked Mindy.

"They were best friends when they were kids. For six or seven years. Then, as you heard Mrs. Haifer say, she moved to San Francisco."

"That poor girl," said Mindy.

"Mindy," Josh said, exasperated.

"When do you have lunch?" Drake asked Christine.

"Uh, here," she said, tossing him her schedule.

"You have lunch with me," he said. He frowned. She also had math and science with him. Definitely none of his best subjects. Who had he been kidding anyway? There was no way she wouldn't see how much he'd changed. It was just disappointing that he'd be at his worst when he saw her during the school day. Except for at lunch when he did his socializing. After Mrs. Haifer's clear hatred of him was apparent, he wondered what Christine thought. He glanced back up at her and smiled. "We have a few classes together," Drake said.

Mrs. Haifer walked back into the room.

"Alright, now...Taylor! Headphones!"

* * *

Josh sat down in algebra two and looked around. Drake wasn't there yet, but Christine was. She was talking to the teacher. Josh didn't blame her for doing that now. It must have been kind of embarrassing to have the teacher introduce you every hour. She turned around with her book. Josh gave her a smile and pointed to the desk next to him. She sat down. 

"I don't think we've really formally met yet," Josh said.

"I don't think so either," she replied.

"I'm Josh," he said, shaking her hand, "and you're Christine." He glanced at her, like he was contemplating something.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just trying to figure out why Drake thought you had cooties."

"Oh," she said, laughing. "You know, boys in preschool. He didn't seem to think I had cooties when..."

"Okay class," said their teacher. "Almost time to start."

There was thirty seconds until the bell rang. The teacher looked at the clock and then around the room. She knew who was missing. It never failed.

"Well, I see Mr. Parker will be..."

"Hey, Ms. Stone," said Drake, walking into the room.

"Oh, great, you just made it," Ms. Stone responded. "That's frightening. Take your seat, Drake."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. He sat down in back of Christine.

"Wow, you're _early_," Josh stressed.

"Hey..." said Drake.

Christine giggled. Drake glanced at her, and she gave him a smile. Drake returned the smile and opened his math book. Hey, he had to at least look like he was doing something or their teacher was sure to give him detention.

"Who has questions from last night's assignment?" Ms. Stone asked.

Josh raised his hand.

"Yes, Josh?"

"Number five, please?"

"Certainly. This one was a bit difficult, so if you didn't get it, don't worry..." Ms. Stone's voice trailed off. Drake was busy doodling in his notebook. He was careful of his doodles though. Last time he drew doodles of a teacher, Mindy tried to use them to get him suspended. Right now he was doodling a dog playing a guitar. He didn't know why he chose to do that. He just did it. He was quite involved with his doodle and didn't notice Ms. Stone standing over him. "Mr. Parker..." she said.

"Hi," he said, looking up at her. Everyone around him started laughing.

"Drake, I asked if you were paying attention. You obviously weren't because I asked you about three times before hovering over your desk!"

"Sorry," Drake replied. He glanced up quickly at Christine, who was giving him an odd look. He turned slightly red and slid down in his seat. He hadn't expected that to happen. Christine was probably starting to see how much he had changed, starting with school. Maybe he didn't want her to see him at lunch. That couldn't be avoided though.

* * *

Christine tried to snake her way around the cafeteria. Where was she supposed to sit? She had no idea. She felt someone grab her elbow. She turned around, and Drake was standing there. 

"Hey," he said. "Come on." He directed her to a table where some of his friends were already sitting. "Hey," said Drake. "This is Christine."

Christine noticed she got a bit of an evil look from a girl sitting a few seats away. She shook it off. The girl didn't know her. Why should she give her a look like that?

"Hey, Drake," said a girl, walking up behind him.

"Hi, Melanie," he said turning around.

"Drake," she said. "I really enjoyed the other night. I wondered if we were going to go out again."

"Yeah," Drake replied. "I might call you tonight." He dodged a straightforward answer and sat down.

"Hey," said Mitch, who Drake had had a problem with since he quit his band to join his church choir which didn't matter much anymore because Drake found an eleven-year-old who played drums really well. "What happened with the Cambrie twins? I heard it almost didn't end well."

"I'd say kissing them both by the end of the night is pretty successful," said Drake's friend Michael, who was surprisingly his friend even after Drake hustled him out of some money by having Josh beat him at pool.

Christine gave Drake a confused look. He turned bright red. This was even worse than the doodling situation in algebra. At least that could have been written off as just feeling bored. He knew this didn't sound good to her. He had planned on explaining it to her, but he hadn't gotten the chance yet.

"But, their brother almost attacked him," Mitch said. "I'd call that almost not ending well."

"True," said Michael. "But I still say kissing them both would be well worth whatever their brother happened to dish out."

Drake saw the look in Christine's eyes. She wasn't liking what she was hearing.

"Uh, guys," said Drake. "Can we not talk about this? Please?"

"Why not?" asked Mitch.

"I don't think I'll be seeing either of them again, so let's just drop it."

"Yeah," said Michael. "Hey, who are you taking out this weekend?"

Christine poked Drake in the arm.

"I should go," she said.

"Wait," he started, grabbing her arm.

"No," she replied. "I just have a few things to do."

"Okay," he said, letting go. "See you later."

Christine stood up and left the table. She couldn't believe it. Was she hearing things right? Should she have expected this after the way he reintroduced himself to her? It just wasn't like him. Not that she knew anyway. Six years made a difference. She didn't like it though. Maybe she misinterpreted what she heard. Kissing both twins? Who was he taking out this weekend? She hoped she was just over-analyzing the situation. She decided she'd know soon enough, but she wasn't comfortable sitting there. Drake was great, but the rest of them just made her feel unwelcome. Especially the girl giving her the evil look. She glanced around the cafeteria. Now what was she supposed to do?

"Hey," said Josh.

"Oh, hi," she said.

"Have anywhere to sit?" he questioned.

"No," she said. "I was sitting with Drake, but..."

"His friends can be a bit intimidating?" Josh replied.

"Yeah."

"They're pretty harmless. I sit with Mindy though. You can come sit with us, if you like."

"Sure," she said. "Thanks."

She followed Josh to where Mindy was sitting.

"Hi, Christine," Mindy said, as she sat down. "Josh told me a little about you. I have to say right now, I am so sorry you had to go through your childhood with Drake as your best friend."

"Mindy..." said Josh.

"Uh," said Christine. "He's actually pretty different from when he was younger. I don't know. Time changes people I guess."

"Right," said Josh. "Anyway, Mindy will also be at dinner tonight. We were thinking the four of us could go to the Premiere afterwards. How does that sound?"

"The Premiere?" asked Christine.

"Oh, it's only three years old. Sorry, it's the movie theater."

"Oh," Christine replied.

"It's become the hangout for the high school," said Mindy.

"I see, that should be fun," Christine said.

"It's almost time for science," said Mindy. "We'd better go. If you need anything else, just ask me."

"Thanks," Christine replied.

* * *

A/N: And so the questioning begins...how is it all going to turn out? Well...events at the house while Christine and her mother are over for dinner are a bit interesting. 


	4. Chapter Three: Deja Vu

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: Well, Christine's considering what she sees in Drake. You'll find a little more out about that by this chapter's end, and a little about what Drake sees in Christine.

_Chapter Three: Deja Vu_

* * *

Christine stood at the door of the Parker-Nichols home with her mother. 

"I'm sure it's made you happy to see Drake again," said her mother.

"Yeah," said Christine. She was happy to see him again. She probably had misinterpreted the conversation at lunch. She decided to leave it alone.

"I'm glad," said Mrs. Baylor. She rang the doorbell. Josh opened it.

"Hey, Mrs. Baylor, Christine," he said. "Come on in. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

"Thank you, uh..."

"Josh," he told Mrs. Baylor.

"Oh, Josh. You must be Audrey's step-son. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" said Josh. He glanced at Christine. "Mindy's in the living room or Drake's upstairs, avoiding her. Whoever you'd like to go see."

Christine giggled.

"Thanks Josh." She headed past him and up the stairs. She stood in the doorway of Drake's room as she'd done hundreds of times before, just six years ago. He was busy with his guitar. She wasn't one to disturb people, but she figured she'd make an exception. She quietly walked up behind him and covered his eyes.

"Hey!" Drake yelled.

"Guess who?" she said.

"Christine, what are you...?" his voice trailed off. They used to play this game all the time. Whenever one of them was over and the other didn't know, they'd do that. Those were the fun times Drake wanted to remember. He'd really missed her. He realized that after she left the lunch table. It was weird, they spent six years apart. Then she comes back, and he can't stand not seeing her for ten minutes. He stared at her for a few minutes. _No,_ he told himself. _She's your best friend. She's not just another girl._

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "So, what do you think of Belleview?"

"It'll take some getting used to I guess," she said.

"Yeah. I figured."

"I guess you are good at that guitar," she said, laughing.

"Yeah, no thanks to you bugging me when I was trying to learn," he responded.

"Oh, I was just playing with you. Besides, you do play very well now." She sat down next to him on the sofa. "So, Josh mentioned stopping by the Premiere after dinner?"

"Oh, yeah. If you want to that is."

"Sure," she replied. "I've got nothing better to do tonight." She was staring at him, hard. It frightened him for a moment.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Christine sighed.

"I've really missed you," she replied.

"I've missed you too."

"I'm sorry we lost touch, I never thought..."

"Shh," Drake told her. "It doesn't matter now."

"You're right," she replied. She stopped when she noticed that he was looking into her eyes. She'd seen that look on his face once before. He leaned forward slightly. His lips were about to touch hers when Josh called.

"Drake! Christine! Dinner!"

They quickly came back to reality and laughed off their little "moment" before heading down to dinner.

* * *

"So," said Audrey. "Christine, have you thought about college yet?" 

"Well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do now," Christine replied. "Things got a little crazy."

"That's understandable," Audrey replied, deciding to try to avoid any topics that would involve going into Christine's father. Her parents had not split on good terms. When Ruby, Christine's mother, called her and told her she was moving back to San Diego and why she was divorcing her husband, well, Audrey was shocked. She knew it was probably hard on the both of them. "Ruby, how is the office job you've taken going?"

"Quite well, actually," Ruby replied. She had been a teacher for a long time, but she couldn't get a job teaching in the middle of the semester, so she worked at an office. "I've been busy with..." Mrs. Baylor's voice trailed off. Drake wasn't focusing on the conversation. He was focusing on the "moment" he and Christine had in the bedroom. They'd only had one other "moment" like that once before, and it felt right both times.

_She's your best friend,_ came the voice in his head again. _You can't think that way. Forget it. She's not going to become one of the weekly girls you date and then toss to the side. Why do you do that anyway? What's the matter with you?_ Why was his mind having this argument now? His mind had never had this argument before, so why now?

"Drake," said Josh, poking his arm.

"What?" Drake asked, as he realized everyone was staring at him.

"I asked if you were ready to go to the Premiere."

"Oh," Drake replied. "Uh, yeah. I just gotta go get my jacket from upstairs."

Josh followed him up the stairs.

"Man, what is with you?"

"What do you mean what is with me?" Drake asked.

"You've been acting weird lately. Does this have anything to do with Christine?"

"No," said Drake, defensively. "Why would it?"

"I don't know. It just seemed like a logical connection to make."

"Well, it isn't. I'm fine. Come on, Christine and the Creature are waiting downstairs." He pushed past Josh and headed down the steps. Josh rolled his eyes at Drake's nickname for Mindy. It was getting easier to deal with now, but it was still annoying.

* * *

The four teens walked into the Premiere movie theater. 

"I am so glad I didn't have to work tonight," Josh said.

"Josh!" called Helen. "Why aren't you working tonight?"

"Because I have tonight off," Josh replied, knowing that the excuse wouldn't be good enough for Helen.

"Really?" Helen replied. "Well...Hello Drake!" she said glancing in back of Josh. "How are you?"

"Fine Helen," Drake responded.

"Good." She looked past Drake at Christine. "And who's this?"

"This is Christine," Drake replied.

"Oh, good to meet you," said Helen. "Are you Drake's date this week?"

"Uh," said Drake, coming between Helen and Christine. "We're friends."

"Oh, you prefer to go out on Saturday anyway, don't you?" Helen said.

"Yeah," Drake replied. He still hadn't talked to Christine about his dating habits. What did he look like to her? Why did he care how he looked as a boyfriend to her? It wasn't like they were going to date. Then again, he didn't want her to see that side of him, and he didn't understand why.

"Hey," said Josh, noting that his brother looked uncomfortable with the situation. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Okay," said Mindy, noticing that Drake looked a little distraught as well. She couldn't stand him, but for some reason, she felt she had reason to be concerned about his odd responses to everything lately. Maybe because he was Josh's brother and she had to care about him somewhat, but she still couldn't stand him.

* * *

They were sitting at a table talking now. Mindy had convinced Christine to go to the mall with her on Sunday. They were having a good time, even though Drake and Mindy had started arguing twice already. Things were okay until Drake looked up and saw someone that made the color completely drain from his face. 

"Drake?" said a female voice.

"Hey, Candice," Drake replied.

"What's going on?" Candice asked.

"Just here with Josh and my friend," Drake responded. She's _going to say something, and Christine is going to hate me. Why do I care though? I shouldn't worry about it. It doesn't matter. Please don't say anything Candice..._

"It looks like you're on a double date."

"How?"

"Well, you're here with your brother and his girlfriend and another girl..."

"Oh, well, Christine and me aren't dating," he replied.

"Drake, everyone knows you date a lot of people. No one cares. It's cool."

_No one cares until now,_ Drake thought, glancing over at Christine. "Well, it's not, we're just hanging out." What was the matter with him?

"I've got to go anyway," Candice said. "See you tomorrow night Drake."

"Bye," said Drake. Candice walked away. Drake slid down in his seat. Things were bad enough when Christine had seen how bad he'd become with school. Now she knew what he was like with girls. He had no idea how she was reacting to this. He glanced over at her. She was talking to Mindy. Josh looked at Drake, a bit concerned. _Great, now Josh thinks something's wrong again.

* * *

_

Drake walked up Christine's porch with her.

"Um, Christine, about Candice," he began.

"What about her?" Christine asked. "You're obviously seeing her."

"Well..." said Drake.

"What's the matter?"

"I just, I don't know. I'll see you later." He walked down the steps and back to the car. Man, this was difficult.

Christine turned back around and went inside. What did she think was supposed to happen? That she and Drake would click after six years? How could there be any attraction? Candice was prettier than she was. She was also popular. This, Christine knew from school that day. She couldn't help but think about the last time she saw Drake before she moved away. The moment was sad, but he had made her feel better. He had been sweet, even for a fifth-grader. He was her best friend. She guessed now they'd never be more than that.

* * *

A/N: I wasn't exactly thrilled with the way this chapter went, but the point of this one was to start to poke at a few things. Hope it turned out okay. 


	5. Chapter Four: My First Kiss

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: I wanted to make sure I didn't confuse anyone with this. Drake and Christine last saw each other when they were eleven. This is six years later. Yes, I purposely made them seventeen for those who may have been curious since they are sixteen on the show. This is probably my favorite chapter in this story. It also happens to be the longest. I hope you enjoy.

_Chapter Four: My First Kiss_

* * *

An eleven-year-old Drake Parker sat on the porch swing with a girl about his age sitting across from him. 

"We just have to try and remember," said the little Drake. He leaned forward and felt her soft lips touch his. It felt right. He pulled away, staring into her emerald green eyes...

Seventeen-year-old Drake Parker flipped over in bed as he woke up from his dream. He glanced at the clock. It was only 6:30 in the morning. Why was he up this early, and why was he having a dream like that? He thought about the dream. Then he thought about the last day he saw Christine before she moved away.

_My first kiss..._

Why, why had things ended up the way they had? Why did her dad have to be moved to San Francisco? Why couldn't they have gone to middle school and all of high school together? Why did they have to be torn apart at the time when Drake himself was just dealing with the loss of a father figure, simply because the man he used to call "Daddy" didn't want him anymore? Walter had been a better father to Drake than Ford had. Walter wanted to know Drake. Ford ignored Drake's letters, and in doing that, ignored Drake's existence.

Drake recalled the day Christine had found him crying because Ford hadn't answered one of his letters. It was the first of many that would go unanswered. Christine tried to take his mind off of it as best as a girl her age could, but it was still in the back of his mind. He enjoyed his time spent with her though. He felt wanted when they were together. She spent time with him because she wanted to, not because she was forced to be with him. Then she moved away. No, he kissed her. Then she moved away. Why did he do these things? He let his head fall in his hands.

"Drake?" asked Josh from his bed.

"Yeah?" said Drake, glancing up at his brother.

"What are you doing awake at seven o'clock in the morning?"

"I had a dream," Drake replied.

"A nightmare?" Josh questioned.

"No, far from a nightmare," Drake responded.

"So, what's the problem?"

Drake turned to Josh. Things were weird. He didn't quite know what was going on with himself.

"I have no idea," Drake replied. He really didn't. He didn't know why he didn't want to show Christine who he was now.

"You want to talk about it?" Josh asked.

"I don't think so," Drake replied.

"Does this have anything to do with Christine?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"Because I figure eventually I'll be right."

"Fine, you're right, okay? Happy?"

"Whoa, why are you dreaming about Christine?"

"It wasn't exactly a dream. Well, it was, but it was also a memory."

"A memory, of what?"

"Of her and me and the day she told me she was leaving. The last day I saw her."

"Oh," Josh said. He didn't know what to say to that.

"Yeah," Drake continued. "I guess that day's been at the back of my mind. I know I'll never forget it."

"Must have been pretty sad, huh?"

"Well, yeah, but it was also nice."

"Nice? Drake, that was the last day you saw your best friend and you say it was nice?"

"You don't know what happened," Drake replied.

"No, I don't. What did happen?"

"Well," Drake sighed, "that was the day we both had our first kiss." He glanced at Josh who had a "so?" kind of look on his face. "Together," Drake continued, rolling his eyes.

"Oh," said Josh. "Oh, wow. I had no idea you two were like that...um, wow."

"It never went beyond that. We weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend, if you can even seriously have boyfriends and girlfriends in fifth grade. No dating at all. Just best friends who happened to kiss each other when saying goodbye."

"Wow. That's why you're acting weird?"

"I don't know," Drake replied. "The strangest part is, I really don't want to go out with Candice tonight. I feel bad, but I don't want to."

"You should probably call her early today and let her know that then," Josh replied. "If she doesn't know, man, you'll be in trouble."

"Yeah. I'll do that right before lunch. Wow. I'm awake before lunch."

"Dude, that is weird," Josh replied. "Starting to show up on time for class too. My, is this a change in Drake Parker? Christine must be good for you..."

Drake picked up a pillow and threw it at Josh.

"Hey!" Josh yelled.

"You were asking for it..."

* * *

Christine flipped through the channels on the television. There wasn't much to watch. The cartoons had ended and nothing good was on after that. She couldn't even call someone to hang out with that day. She thought about Drake, but after last night, she wasn't sure. She thought about calling Mindy but decided they didn't know each other that well, so she didn't want to call her and bother her about spending time with her. There just weren't many people to hang out with now. 

She sat down at the computer to see if any of her friends in San Francisco were online. Nope. It was a Saturday. They were all out having fun. Then someone signed on to the internet. She looked at the screenname. She quickly signed out of her AIM. That was the last person she wanted to talk to online or anywhere else. She was really bored. She picked up the book she'd been reading and sat on the couch to continue reading it.

_"She knew that if she let herself remember, she couldn't tell him the lie he had to hear._

_'Forney . . .'_

_She wouldn't be able to break his heart . . ._

_'No, Forney. I don't love you. Not in the way you need to be loved. Not in that way.'_

_. . . and she wouldn't be about to break her own."_

Christine had always gotten depressed at this point in the story. Novalee wouldn't tell Forney that she loved him. Christine often thought that maybe if she had told Drake that day that they'd made a mistake, perhaps the pain wouldn't have been this bad when she did leave, and she wouldn't be as disappointed with the way he appeared to act toward girls now. Then again, as the novel went on, Novalee realized that she'd made a mistake in not showing her true feelings. Christine sighed and had just started to continue reading when the phone rang.

"Hello?" she said, answering it.

"Hey, Christine. It's Drake."

"Hi," she said.

"I wondered if I could talk to you today."

"About what?"

"About everything. There's a few things I wanted to tell you."

"Okay," she sighed. "Why don't you come by my house? My mom won't be home until later."

"Alright," Drake replied. "See you in a little bit."

"Bye," Christine hung up the phone. What did he want to tell her? Why had she invited him over where they'd be alone? Was she still thinking about that kiss and the promises he had made that night six years ago? She knew she was. Sometimes, she could still feel the sweet sensation of his lips against hers. A part of her also wished that Josh hadn't interrupted them the previous night.

She finally got up and put her book away. She paused and looked out her bedroom window. Things were difficult to get used to now. Her friends in San Francisco had promised to keep in touch. She had to wait until late at night for them to be online though, as they were spending the weekends with their friends and family. Two things she was seriously lacking right now.

The doorbell rang, and she hurried downstairs to let Drake inside.

"Nice house," he said, walking through the door.

"Thanks," she replied.

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about myself."

"That doesn't sound shallow," Christine teased.

"I want to talk about how I've changed."

"You're right. You have."

"Yeah, I know. I know you don't like it either."

"Drake, I..."

"Let me finish. First of all, I know I look like an idiot in my classes. Well, after Ford quit writing me back, one of the first things to slip was my school work. It eventually became this way. I don't do my homework, I don't study for tests, and I just don't do well."

"It was just weird seeing you, who used to get such good grades, kind of slack off that way," she replied. "But you're not an idiot. I could never think that of you."

"Thanks, but I know I'm not the best student. Mrs. Haifer would agree with that."

"I could tell."

Drake paused. He had done very well in school before his parents divorced. Unfortunately, it slipped and never came back. Part of him wished it had, but it hadn't. He'd grown to enjoy not having to do any work unless he wanted to do it. Besides, it had meant he could go out with more girls. After that thought, he continued what he wanted to say.

"The thing that bothers me most is what you think of the way I'm dating."

"Oh, that," she replied.

"Yes, that."

"If you want to date that way, it's none of my business."

"Christine, you're my best friend. I don't want you to hate something I do."

"How can you say we're still best friends? Six years have gone by, Drake. Things change. People change."

Drake looked taken aback for a moment.

"I just...look, I know it's probably bad, but I do date that way. Lately, I've been kicking myself for it. I don't know why."

"You're starting to sound like my dad."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Christine..."

"I can't believe you. You nearly kissed me _again_ last night. What was that about?"

"I just, I didn't, I wasn't thinking."

She looked a bit hurt but tried to quickly hide it, but Drake had seen the look on her face. Now he felt awful.

"Obviously not," she replied. "Yet again, you sound like my dad."

Drake glanced down at the coffee table. Among the mail was a letter for Christine from her dad, unopened.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked. "You haven't opened his letter."

"I don't want to communicate with him," Christine said icily.

"Why not?"

"He's terrible, that's why!"

"What could he have possibly..."

"You don't understand. You can't understand."

Drake sighed. When she got angry, she got angry.

"I want nothing to do with him," she snapped.

Drake paused. That hurt him.

"You know what the worst feeling in the world is? When your own father doesn't want to know you. He's your dad, and he wants to talk to you. Don't let that go."

"What about you?" she dared to try. "Why don't you just go to New York if you want him to pay attention to you so badly?"

Her feistiness that he loved was bitter and cruel at the moment. As much as he wanted her to start coming out of her shell, the last comment really stung. How could she say that? He stared at her. That wasn't like her at all. Then again, time did change people. No, she would never mean that, but Drake didn't know how to respond to it.

Christine stared back at him. Her eyes became less stony. She saw the pain she caused. She'd just hurt her best friend. She couldn't deny that he would always be her best friend. She hadn't been that close to anyone in San Francisco. What had she done?

"Drake," she whispered.

"I have to go," he said.

"No, Drake," she replied, softly. "Please..."

"What's there to say if I do stay?" Drake asked.

"Don't go," she begged. "Please, Drake..."

Drake looked back at her. This was tearing him up inside.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her eyes were full of tears. "I wish I could take it back."

Drake hated when a girl cried. To make matters worse, it was his best friend. He knew she hadn't meant what she said, but it still hurt. She glanced away from him, the tears still glistening in her eyes. Drake was broken up inside. He finally wrapped his arms around her. She let herself settle into his warm embrace as she returned the hug. They both needed comfort. He had no idea why he was willing to forgive her. It hurt a lot, but he was. Her tight embrace told him that she hadn't wanted to hurt him. Drake still wasn't understanding, however. Why? Why was he acting this way? He'd canceled his date with Candice. He didn't want to go out with anyone that night at all. Why had he forgiven Christine quickly? She was sincere in her apology, he knew that, but he couldn't understand the things he was doing, the things she was doing.

"I know this is tough," he said. "What you're going through sucks. I wish I could make it easier on you. You know that can be just as hard as going through it yourself. When you're ready to open up, I'm here. I'll always be here, but don't let what's happening ultimately control your life."

"Thank you, Drake."

They let go of each other.

"One question," Drake said.

"What?" Christine asked.

"Why are you all alone on a Saturday?"

"Well, I just...I don't know..."

"You're not that social. Right. Well, come on, let's go."

"What? Where?"

"The Premiere."

"Why?"

"Because you need to get out of the house, that's why. I'm not letting you become a hermit. Now let's go."

"Demanding aren't we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," he said, a bit offended until he saw her trying to hide her smile. "Yeah, that's me. The high overlord. Now do you want to go to the Premiere with me or spend the rest of the day here with no other form of human life?"

"I get it. I'll go," she said, laughing. "Give me a few minutes, I'm going to go change."

"Okay," Drake replied. He watched as she hurried up the stairs. He had intended to tell her something else, but they'd gotten off track. He had wanted to tell her that he never wanted to pull on her what all the other girls he dated ended up with in the end. That didn't happen. He didn't want to bring it up anymore. He was still trying to comprehend why Christine's coming back to San Diego made him question what he was doing. It was new to him. To add to that, not only did he not understand why he was suddenly breaking dates, but he couldn't understand why he didn't feel like not seeing all those girls wasn't bad. It was just different for him to think that way.

Christine had added a new thought to nag at Drake's mind. His father, Ford. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should take matters into his own hands. Wouldn't it be better to find out what really happened? Drake pushed this thought aside, though. Right now, Christine needed his help with whatever she was going through with her parents' divorce. Her needs were going to come first, and when she needed to open up to someone, he would be there.

* * *

A/N: As I said, probably my favorite chapter. Please review and let me know. Especially the dream portion. If it's too difficult to see the transition, let me know because Drake will dream often in this trilogy. Seriously, I love the reviews. Let's me know if I'm doing the story well enough, what you like, what you hate. 

The portion of text that Christine reads about Novalee and Forney is from _Where the Heart Is_ by Billie Letts on page 326 (of the book I have at least). It's a wonderful novel that's been adapted into a movie and I highly recommend reading the novel or seeing the movie.


	6. Chapter Five: One Word

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: I'm assuming you all understood the dream to awake transition in the last chapter. No one said anything about it anyway. Remember, if you didn't get it, tell me. I only got two reviews on the last chapter too, which was a bit disappointing. I didn'tupdate yesterday because I wanted to make sure there weren't any questions with the storysofar. In this chapter you will see how the other girls of Belleview are taking Christine arriving. Drake does something...Mindy interprets it...and you'll see.

_Chapter Five: One Word_

* * *

Drake brought Christine to the Premiere, where he introduced her to Michelle, an ex of his. While they'd had a short-lived relationship, Michelle was really nice and really smart, which was one of the things that Drake thought was attractive. He figured that if anyone could be a good friend to Christine, Michelle could. He did not want to pair her off with Mindy Crenshaw. They'd talk about that later. He knew Christine would make friends on her own, but she seemed to need a bit of a push. 

Michelle and Christine hit it off well, which Drake was glad to see. He spent the afternoon talking to his friend Michael while the girls bonded. Josh was watching what Drake was doing. He was glad to see his brother helping Christine out with friends. Perhaps she'd gain more confidence this way. Even though she appeared shy to people she didn't know, Drake told him that she could be fun and spontaneous if she knew you.

After Michelle left, Christine sat talking to Drake. By now it was four o'clock. Drake glanced up to see the very last person he wanted to see.

"Drake?" asked Candice.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"So, you cancel your date with me to go out with the new girl? Interesting. I never thought she was that pretty in the first place, so I wasn't worried. Evidently, I should have been. I don't get what you see in her, she's just another girl." Candice looked down at Christine. She knew how shy she was and was able to use it against her. "Just another mistake for you to make, like the Cambrie twins, right Drake?"

Drake felt his face go red. _No one_ talked about his best friend that way. Why were girls cruel to each other? Not all girls. Christine would have kept that to herself. He glanced at her. She looked ashamed. And what had Candice meant by mistake? Now he was angry. Christine didn't have the courage to stand up to someone she didn't know. He had the courage to stand up to Candice though.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, standing up with his teeth clenched.

"What are you talking about?" Candice asked, looking shocked that Drake Parker would respond to a girl that way.

"How _dare_ you talk about Christine that way."

"Drake, please, don't," Christine whispered.

He glanced at her. He knew she was hurt by everything Candice said. She didn't want confrontation either. Drake knew that, but he wasn't going to let Candice get away with what she said.

"She's the sweetest girl I've ever known. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but she is pretty. And to disappoint you even more, we're best friends. This is far from a date. Even if it was, it'd be anything but a mistake."

"You expect me to believe that?" asked Candice.

"I don't care if you do or not, but nobody talks about my best friend like that. Come on Christine, we're leaving." Drake wanted to leave before he said or did something he'd end up regretting.

Candice stood there with a confused look on her face. Drake Parker had just told a girl off? What was the matter with him? She watched him leave with Christine. Drake wasn't the same Drake Parker everyone in high school knew. He was different and becoming more different each day. He was hanging out with the new girl, and it wasn't like she was all that attractive. The guys weren't exactly fawning over her. Guys fawned over Candice; they didn't snap at her for putting someone in his or her place. What book of school popularity had Drake been reading?

* * *

There was silence in the car as Drake drove Christine back to her house. He was still fuming over what Candice said. He wasn't quite sure why he felt the extreme need to stand up for Christine. It was odd. No guy ever bit back at Candice. What really got to Drake was that she'd made Christine feel ashamed of herself. As if she wasn't going through enough right now. He didn't even know the half of it, he realized. Something her father had done had made her want to drop communication with him. There was enough eating away at her. He pulled up in front of Christine's house. Her mother wasn't home yet. She'd be there in about an hour. He followed Christine inside. 

"I'm sorry about what Candice said," Drake said.

"It's not your fault," Christine replied.

"Yes it is. If I didn't date different girls daily, this wouldn't have happened. I hate that she said those things about you."

Christine stared at Drake. He blamed himself for this? He was as sweet as he once was when he was younger.

"Thank you for standing up for me," she said.

"I'll always stand up for you," Drake responded.

"You don't..."

"Then I'm going to have to help you learn to stand up for yourself if you don't want me to do it," Drake said, giving her a smile.

"Thank you," she said again.

"You're welcome."

Christine glanced at the floor. Things were really hard lately.

"Christine, everything she said, none of that was true."

"Drake, I know what I am, but I also know I'm not as pretty as she is."

Drake grabbed her into a hug.

"You're beautiful. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently."

* * *

Christine was at the mall with Mindy the next day. She was becoming more comfortable with her, which was a good thing. Josh had seen the commotion at the Premiere, as he'd been watching Drake and Christine. He'd told Mindy about what happened. Mindy was a little surprised at the fact that Drake stood up for her, but she was his best friend. She wanted to make sure Christine was okay after the previous day, so she asked her about it. 

"So, Josh said you and Drake had a run in with Candice yesterday," Mindy said, as they sat down at the food court with sodas and pretzels.

"Yeah," Christine replied. "She wasn't exactly happy to see me, and I had no idea that Drake had canceled his date with her in the first place."

"You didn't?"

"He didn't mention it."

"Oh. Well, I don't value Candice's opinion. She walks around like the queen bee and puts down the people she finds threatening. Actually, you could be flattered that she tried to do that to you. She's a little afraid of you."

"Why would she be afraid of me? How could I possibly be a threat to her? I've even admitted I'm not as pretty as she is."

"She's covered by makeup and her popularity only makes her seem appealing. She's all talk That's all it is. You shouldn't let her get to you like that. You are pretty."

"That's what Drake said. Well, not exactly in those words, but it's basically what he said."

"Oh, how did he put it?"

"He told me I was beautiful and then, yeah, pretty much that I shouldn't let it bother me."

Mindy stared at Christine. Drake had told her she was beautiful? Throughout all the time Mindy knew Drake he had never called a girl beautiful. Sure, they got the, she's pretty, she's cute, she's hot, she's a ten but never beautiful. That was something she didn't expect to ever hear come out of his mouth. It was more of a sensitive word. Even though she'd never known Drake to use the word, she could imagine why a guy like him would use it if hell ever froze over and he did say it, and he apparently had.

"He's right," Mindy replied, trying to hide her surprise. "For once. Really, don't let her bother you. Anyway, Josh said it looked like you were making friends with Michelle."

"Oh, yeah," Christine said. "We got along pretty well."

"It's good to know you're getting to know the nice people too."

"Hey, when I sat down to lunch with Drake's friends the other day, there was a girl giving me an 'I-wish-you-would-drop-dead-right-now' type look."

"You're a threat to these girls," said Mindy shaking her head and smiling. "They know you and Drake were, er, are best friends, and that concerns them. I'm guessing you knew a few of them before you left."

"I guess she did look familiar. She might have been in fourth grade with us."

"Yeah, you see? They're threatened by you. You've come to take their precious Drake away," Mindy laughed.

Christine smiled. Things would be okay. She decided to listen to Mindy and Drake and forget about what everyone else thought of her. She had other things to deal with and her energy didn't need to be wasted on people like Candice.

* * *

Mindy rang the doorbell to the Parker-Nichols house. Josh answered the door. 

"Hey, Mindy," he said. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, but..."

"I'm actually here to talk to Drake," Mindy responded.

Josh looked puzzled.

"You want to talk to Drake?" Josh asked. "About what?"

"Something really important that has to do with his friendship. I don't know if I should tell you. I mean, I know we tell each other everything, but I don't know if I should or not."

"Relax, you don't have to...wait...you want to talk to Drake about something important? Is Ashton Kutcher supposed to show up soon? Because if he does, I'm not going to be surprised."

"Josh, I'm serious. Is he home?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. He's upstairs. I'll walk up there with you. See if he wants to talk to you since you're not exactly his favorite person."

"Right. Okay, let's go."

Josh and Mindy headed upstairs. Josh had no idea what Mindy wanted to talk to Drake about. From the tone of her voice, he could tell it was important.

"Hey, Drake," Josh said, opening their bedroom door.

"Yeah?" Drake asked, not turning away from the television.

"Uh, Mindy says she wants to talk to you."

Drake slowly turned toward Josh.

"She wants to talk to me? Why?"

"I don't know she says it's really important."

"Drake," said Mindy. "This has to do with Christine." If her conclusion was correct, he wouldn't say no.

"Fine," Drake sighed and stood. "Make it quick."

Mindy smiled. He had just proved her right, but he was trying to act like it was a bother.

"I'll be downstairs," Josh said and left the room.

"Okay," said Mindy. "I'll get straight to the point. Did you or did you not in fact tell Christine she was beautiful yesterday?"

"Yes, I did," Drake replied, staring at Mindy. What kind of a question was that? "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Uh huh. And you stood up for her in front of Candice?"

"Yes." He had no idea where she was going with this.

"So have you told her you have feelings for her?"

"What are you talking about?" Drake asked, backing away. "She's my best friend. I do not have feelings for her, okay?"

"Oh, please. You broke your date with Candice when you were worried about how Christine felt. On top of that, you told off Candice when she insulted her, and you didn't tell Christine she was hot or cute. You told her she was beautiful."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You've never called another girl beautiful. In fact, I don't think there's many guys who do use it. It's something more sensitive, especially for you. It's obvious, Drake."

"Look, horrible girl, I think you've been up studying too late. I do not have feelings for her like that."

"Drake, the only thing you've ever called beautiful was a guitar. I've seen enough proof..."

"She's my best friend. Now, knock it off with your crazy theories and leave me alone."

Mindy shook her head She knew it was true, and it was because of one word. Beautiful. She turned to leave the room. He was being ridiculous. Why not just admit it?

After Mindy left the room, Drake stood there thinking about what she said. It was because they were best friends. That was all. She shouldn't date him anyway. She deserved someone who wasn't running around dating other girls all the time. She deserved much more than him.

* * *

A/N: ...and there's your romance Alison. It worked its way in there. Now, is Mindy right about it? That's the only way it's going to continue. Like I said before though, it's not the main part to this story. There's something else that is important that will happen. For now, please review. Really. If you don't, I have no idea whether the story is good or bad or okay. 


	7. Chapter Six: Remember Your Promise?

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: More of Mindy's poking around, and we're going to be reminded of Drake's promises. Please read and review.

_Chapter Six: Remember Your Promise?_

* * *

Monday came, and things appeared to be going smoothly. Josh hadn't asked Drake about Mindy's "talk" with him, and Drake didn't mention it. Josh couldn't help but notice that morning, though, that the first place Drake went was Christine's locker. This wasn't exactly normal for Drake. Normally, Drake would go to his own locker. Then he'd search for a girl who would become a date. If he was successful, he'd find his friends and talk to them. However, he skipped over his morning search and went to find Christine. 

Josh was puzzled by Drake's behavior. Had he missed Christine that much and was hoping to catch up on six years? Normally, nothing could distract Drake from girls. His routine of date searches was absent, and this concerned Josh. While he probably should have been happy that his brother was no longer running around and recklessly dating, it still made Josh feel as though he should worry about Drake. It just wasn't normal for him.

* * *

Drake had no idea that Josh was taking notice of the sudden change in his routine. In fact, he had no idea of what anyone else thought of him that morning, including Candice, and for the first time in a long time, Drake Parker didn't care. He headed toward Christine's locker first thing, ignoring the hopeful smiles and glances from the majority of the female population of Belleview. 

"Hey, Christine."

"Good morning, Drake," she replied, pleasantly. She appeared to be in a good mood today. Maybe the mall trip with Mindy had calmed her down. She had been calm when Drake left the house on Saturday, but he had been concerned about her on Sunday. He didn't know if Mindy had mentioned his nonexistant feelings for her either. Of course he had feelings of friendship toward her, but not the feelings to which Mindy was referring, not feelings of romance. They had kissed once. They were eleven then. They got older and went out on dates and kissed other people. The first one was special, but it was just a memory now. Yes, they'd almost kissed again in Drake's room, but it was just the heat of the moment. Nothing was going to happen. Drake really wanted to know if Mindy mentioned her "feelings" theory to Christine, though. If she did, he'd have to clear things up and he'd already cleared up a lot with Christine.

"So, how was the mall with Mindy yesterday?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied. "I didn't think guys normally wanted to hear about girl time, especially at the mall," she smirked.

"Oh," Drake responded. "Well, you know. Just wondering how you were doing yesterday."

"Fine. I'm very much over what Candice said by now."

"Good, I'm glad." Drake had no idea how to get her to talk about what she and Mindy talked about or if it had anything to do with him. "Talk about anything interesting?"

"Just about how Candice isn't as high and mighty as she thinks she is, why?"

"Just curious," Drake replied. "I don't get along with Mindy too well. She tried to frame me for putting Mrs. Haifer's car in the classroom last year. Just wondering if she was making me look bad," he said smiling.

"She actually said you were right about not letting anybody walk all over me like that."

"Wow. Mindy said I was right? Maybe she's coming down with something." Drake was glad to hear that Mindy hadn't told Christine her suspicions.

Christine laughed. She and Drake walked together that morning just talking about random things. Many of the girls who found Drake attractive felt a bit jealous. Especially the ones who knew them from elementary school. Who was she to come back and think she could keep Drake Parker all to herself? They'd have to deal with it. Drake wasn't looking in any other direction but her's.

* * *

Josh and Mindy both noticed a few things as the day continued. Drake was in all of his classes on time. He was with Christine the entire day. He didn't eat lunch with his normal friends, but he instead ate with Christine. When it was time to go home, he went to her house. Josh wondered if Drake was sick. Then he figured he might be just happy to see Christine again. He hadn't really had time to catch up with her. That's all it had to be. Mindy on the other hand only saw more and more that she had been right. Mindy was big on science and knew that she only had a theory until Drake proved it completely true that he did have feelings for Christine, but to Mindy, the proof was there. Drake just had to put it together for himself to see it.

* * *

For Mindy, the most obvious piece of evidence came when it was Saturday and Drake had no date that night. She decided to speak with him again. As difficult as he was to deal with, she couldn't help but want to help Drake. She was sick of watching him date girls he didn't really care about. Even with all of their arguing, Drake had grown on Mindy a bit. Even if she hadn't grown on him. 

Drake was at the Premiere like he normally was when Mindy decided to bring up her thoughts again. He was sitting in a chair playing with the wrapper from a Megathon Bar.

"Hey," said Mindy.

"Hi," Drake replied. "Can I help you?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About...?"

"Well..." she paused for a moment. He was folding the candy bar wrapper into a paper airplane. She smacked her hand on top of his. "Stop it! I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Sorry," he responded.

"Now I know you said you don't have feelings for...Drake Parker!" Drake was aiming for the garbage can with his paper plane. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Not really," he replied.

"This is important, so if you don't stop messing with that airplane and start listening, you can kiss your guitar goodbye!"

Drake looked startled, then scared.

"Okay, okay. I'm listening. What is it?"

"You told me you don't have feelings for Christine. I know that's not true."

"Mindy..."

"No. You spent the entire week with her. You went to her house every day after school. You don't even have a date at all today."

"Well, I've just wanted to catch up with her. Is that a crime? We're friends. Nothing more. We'll never be more than that. The sooner you get that through your thick head the better. Now quit bringing this up. Nothing will ever happen between me and Christine." Drake stood and left Mindy. She glanced in the direction he walked away. Why didn't he just admit it? It would make things much less complicated.

* * *

Drake bumped into Christine while walking out of the Premiere. 

"Hi," he said.

"Hey."

"How's it going?"

"Alright. Drake, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure."

"Can we go to the park? I'd rather we talked where it was a little more private. Everyone from school is here."

"Okay," Drake replied.

The two made their way to the park and sat down on a bench. Drake was happy. Was she finally going to open up to him and tell him why she was angry with her dad?

"Drake, remember the last time we saw each other?" Christine asked.

Not what he'd expected, but now he was even more curious.

"How could I forget that day?" he responded.

"Well, then you remember you made a few promises that day."

"Uh...yeah," Drake blushed. He remembered all right. What was she expecting?

"You promised we'd find each other again and would always be together."

"Yes, I do remember. Where is this going?"

"I wondered if you are going to keep that promise."

"Um, well, why wouldn't I?"

"You said so yourself, you date a lot of girls."

"I know. I just..."

"Are you going to keep the promise of our always being together? It doesn't have to be as a couple, so stop looking at me like that. But can you be friends with me when half the girls that you go out with end up giving me dirty looks?"

"If they don't like you, that's their problem. They should know that we would never be anymore than friends."

"Right," she agreed, not really looking at him at that moment.

* * *

"I promise we'll find each other. Then we'll be together again forever and happy. We can even get married." 

The laughter of the small boy died away as Drake shook himself awake. He sighed. Christine hadn't mentioned the part about getting married the previous day. He knew why. It would be silly to hold him to that. He'd said that when he was eleven. Of course things had changed. Besides, it was just a silly little childhood promise. Then why did she ask about the rest of it?

Drake looked at the clock. It was only 8:34. Last time he'd dreamed about that day, it was the night he nearly kissed her again. Then Christine brought up his promises just yesterday, and he'd had another dream like this. Why did his mind think it had to sort that out while he was asleep? He sighed. Why was he dreaming about that day anyway? Was it really because it kept coming up or was it something else?


	8. Chapter Seven: Josh, Think About It

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: Well, you're going to find out why Christine's been acting bitter.

_Chapter Seven: Josh, Think About It_

* * *

Josh began taking notice of many more things. As time progressed, Drake began hanging out with Christine more often. Eventually, he was with her more than his other friends. Anyone who didn't know could mistake them for a couple. Drake was also playing the charmer with girls less and less. In fact, he hadn't had a date since the Cambrie twins incident. Josh was concerned. 

He was sitting at lunch one day with thoughts running through his head. He barely heard Mindy.

"Josh...Josh? Didn't you hear me?" she asked.

"No, sorry," Josh replied.

"What's the matter?"

"Drake, I guess."

"Why?" she questioned.

"He's not acting like himself," Josh replied.

"Oh. How so?"

"He hasn't been dating. He spends more time with Christine than anyone else. This is all happening gradually, but I'm a bit concerned. It's not like Drake at all."

"No, it's not," Mindy agreed. She thought about the conversation she had with Drake a couple weeks ago. "Well, I'm sure there's some explanation."

"What, though?" Josh asked.

"Well, think about it. He's hanging out with Christine more than anyone else."

"They've been catching up," Josh replied.

"As often as they're together, I'm sure the catching up ended about two weeks ago," Mindy responded. "Besides, he hasn't had a date for a while because he's too preoccupied with her."

"Hmm," Josh said. He thought about what Mindy was saying. What was she getting at? Drake and Christine had been best friends. It was obvious that he would want to spend time with her. Then again, Mindy was right. He spent a LOT of time with her. He hadn't dated in a while either, this was true. Wait, Drake didn't...no, he couldn't. Christine was his best friend. But, was it possible? No, that was crazy.

* * *

Drake walked up Christine's front porch. It had been about a month since she came back to San Diego. They'd caught up and spent a lot of time together, just like they did before Christine moved. Drake rang the doorbell, and Christine answered it. He stepped inside. 

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied, not looking at him, as she picked up the mail off of the coffee table. Something about her voice worried him. She carried the mail to the kitchen and tossed an unopened envelope in the trash. She came back in the living room, still not looking at Drake.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"N-no," she responded, her voice shaky.

"Christine..." he looked carefully at her face and realized she'd been crying. "What's the matter?"

"My mom and I had a little argument before she left. It's nothing."

"Christine, if you're crying, it was something."

She sat down on the couch in silence.

"Will you please talk to me?" Drake begged.

Christine sighed and finally began to talk.

"She found out I haven't been reading the letters my dad keeps sending. He asked her why I didn't respond and she asked me, and well, you can figure out the rest."

"Why won't you let your dad know you? I wish my dad would know me."

"I don't want to know _him_. Not after what he did."

"I don't know what he did, so I'm not sure whether to agree with you or not."

Christine stared straight ahead. She hadn't told Drake this story yet. Why her parents had divorced. She hated that it happened. She realized, she needed to tell someone, or it would only depress her more than it already had.

"My dad had an affair. When my mom found out, they just couldn't work through it. He threw his marriage away. He threw our family away. That's why I don't want to talk to him."

Drake couldn't believe what she'd just said. He recalled how Josh felt when they assumed Walter was having an affair. Your dad was someone you were supposed to look up to when you were little. When he did something like this, it just completely killed the "father figure" image. When Josh thought their dad was having an affair, he'd felt depressed and hurt because he'd always looked up to him. Then he'd done that. Drake had been upset as well. After all, it had been his mom who was cheated on, if Walter had been having an affair. He hadn't taken that very lightly. He hadn't told Josh, but he was burning up inside when he thought it was going on, but he had tried to stay calm for Josh's sake.

"I'm so sorry, Christine," he said. What could he say? It was terrible.

"It's just...I always thought I could depend on him," Christine replied. She had tears in her eyes now. She hated crying. She'd done enough of it. She couldn't help it though. The tears just fell. She soon realized she was in Drake's arms. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, but she was thankful for the comfort of them. "My mom just doesn't get it. I don't get her. She wants me to know the man that broke her heart? The man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with? The man who _promised_ to always be faithful?"

"Christine," Drake said. "I know you're upset now, but do you think maybe she doesn't want you to regret not speaking to him? What if one day you needed him and he wasn't there because you shut him out? My mom told me there's always times when a girl needs her dad. When the guys are jerks or even when you need to be given away on your wedding day." Why had he said that? He hadn't meant to say it.

"He really hurt me," Christine responded. "By cheating on my mom, he showed me that my own father can't be trusted."

"My dad doesn't want to know me _at all_. Christine, I'm begging you, don't let this go. If you do, you might regret it someday. You shouldn't have to live with that regret. It's only been a month. Tell him you need to cool down for a little while, and then see how you feel."

"Drake..."

"Please, do it for me?"

His words shocked her, and truthfully, they shocked him as well. He'd never asked her to do anything like this before. He stared into her eyes. They looked the shade of grass at the moment. While it was a bright green, it wasn't the dancing emerald green that he loved when she was happy. What she said next shocked him even more.

"Okay, I will."

"I know it's not easy, but maybe someday, you can forgive him. He is your dad."

"What about you? What about your dad?"

"What? I don't know. What am I supposed to do? He's the one who stopped writing."

"I suppose so."

"Look, can we not talk about this? Let's focus on other things. You like any guys here yet?"

Christine stared at him. What kind of a question was that?

"What?" she asked.

"You know...you want to date anyone?" He honestly couldn't believe he'd asked the question either. Why did he do it? What did he want to know?

"Why would I tell you that?"

"We're best friends, aren't we?"

"Well, yeah, but you're a guy."

"So?"

"That information isn't normally shared with guys."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"How can I get this information out of you?"

"Oh, please."

"You do like someone," he said.

"Maybe," she replied, smirking.

"Who is it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Describe him then. You can't object to that. You don't even have to tell me what he looks like."

"Fine. He's cute..."

"I figured that much. Normally there has to be some kind of a physical attraction." Christine threw a pillow at his head. "Hey!"

"You asked for it. He's smart, but he's not an honor student or anything. He's sweet and treats me with respect at least."

"He sounds nice," Drake said, glancing at the floor. Why did he feel slightly disappointed that she did like someone? He was feeling overprotective, that was all. He was her best friend, and he couldn't help but be overprotective. Whoever the guy was, he was lucky.

* * *

A/N: Tomorrow you get to find out what exactly is going on. Not all questions will be answered in this part of the trilogy, but you will get a basic layout of Drake's feelings because they play an important role. 


	9. Chapter Eight: And the Past Continues to

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: Okay, you're all asking a lot of questions about Drake and his dad and what about Christine. The father questions will be answered soon. Alison, your question about Christine will not be answered in part one. You'll have to wait for part two. You will see why by the end of this story. Like I said, if you hate something Drake does or how something turns out, remember it may change in the next story or the last one, but it may not. Just keep that in mind. After this chapter there are four left, and I hope you enjoy.

_Chapter Eight: And the Past Continues to Haunt_

* * *

Drake sat on the sofa in his and Josh's room. Wow. Her dad had an affair. What could he do for her? Not much. Just be there for her. Why did things have to be this difficult? 

Drake didn't notice Josh walk into the room. He didn't notice that Josh was staring at him for a moment, trying to decide whether to say what was on his mind or not. Finally, Josh decided.

"Hey, Drake," Josh said.

Drake jumped. He hadn't realized Josh was there.

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" Drake responded.

"Sorry," Josh replied. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Well," Josh began, "I've noticed you've been acting strange lately."

"What do you mean strange?"

"I mean strange for you."

"How?"

"For starters you haven't gone out with a girl in a month."

"Of course I have. I mean, there was..." Drake stopped. He hadn't gone out with a girl in a month. What had he been doing? Oh, right. Catching up with Christine.

"See?"

"Okay. That it?"

"No, you've also spent all of your time at school with Christine. You don't eat lunch with your friends anymore. You go to her house a lot. The only thing that still seems normal is the fact that you still go to your band rehearsals."

"What does it matter if I spend a lot of my time with Christine? She's my best friend. Of course I want to be with her sometimes."

"But so often?"

"What are you getting at? Are you jealous? Is this like the time you made friends with Drew and I made friends with Jerry and we both got really jealous and..."

"No. By now I figure nothing can keep us apart. I mean, you put up with Mindy for me. But, it's nothing. I'm just a bit concerned. You're not acting like the Drake Parker I know."

"What do you want me to say?"

Josh sighed. He didn't know what to say to that. He'd just hoped to get some form of an answer out of Drake. He took a deep breath.

"I think you have feelings for Christine, Drake."

"What!" Drake exclaimed. "Did that Creature put you up to this?"

"No," Josh replied. "Wait, what? Mindy told you the same thing?"

"A while ago she started bothering me about it. I told her to back off, and she has. Now why are you bothering me about it?"

"I didn't know that. But Drake, if both of us see it..."

"You two don't see anything Josh! I don't know what you're thinking! Come on! She's my best friend! She's going through a difficult time that I can relate to, so I'm trying to help her! She's not going to be more than my best friend! So what if she just so happens to also be my first kiss? So what if she also just so happens to be the only girl I've actually ever really cared about so..." Drake stopped. He was falling for his best friend. That was why he was acting strange, why he was willing to forgive her easily. It couldn't be that simple though. Drake often fell quickly for a pretty face. Why was this one different? Because they were best friends? He glanced up at Josh. He and Mindy were right. Why did they have to be right?

"Drake?" Josh asked, timidly.

"You're right. I have feelings for her."

"So, you going to tell her?"

"No," Drake replied.

Josh looked puzzled.

"Why not?" Josh asked.

"Because she can do a lot better than me. Let's face it, I could still go back to randomly dating."

"You wanted to keep dating Tori."

"Yeah, that went over well. Where is she now Josh? I got sick of her too. I don't want Christine to become that."

"Are you making up excuses?"

"No, I'm not going to tell her how I feel to protect her. Besides, she wants someone else."

"How do you know?"

"She told me."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, but he sounds like a great guy for her. I guess he's cute and respectful. Oh, yeah. He's smart. Something I'll never be."

"Drake..."

"Don't, okay? This is for the best."

* * *

"What's the matter?" asked the young girl. 

The small boy wiped the tears from his brown eyes. He didn't want his best friend to see that he'd been crying.

"Nothing. Why would you think something was wrong?"

"You're crying. What's wrong?"

"He didn't write me back."

"Maybe he's busy."

"No, it's been too long."

"You could keep trying."

"What good will it do?"

Drake heard a buzzing noise coming from the alarm clock. He turned over in bed and shut it off. Now he was dreaming about the things his father did, or rather, didn't do. How do you just shut out your own son? Even your own daughter. Megan had been too young to comprehend what was going on, but Drake knew. Their father didn't want them. Why not? It had puzzled Drake for years. Now he was dreaming about Christine telling him to do something about it that day. why hadn't he done anything? Maybe things would have been different. Christine had told him in a rage a little while ago to try to talk to him again. Even though she had been angry, maybe it was the right thing to do. Would it do any good after six years?

* * *

School the following day was irritating for Drake. Not because of his dream but because he'd finally admitted to himself the feelings he had for Christine. He wasn't going to tell her. To him, everything he'd told Josh was where he stood. Even if he was hurting himself, it was better than hurting someone he cared about, right? 

Drake sighed and leaned back in his chair. Spring break was in two weeks, and he couldn't wait. Nothing to do but be lazy. Drake felt he needed time to relax. Too many things were eating away at him. For Drake Parker had yet another issue to deal with at the moment. Christine was not in a good mood. Fortunately, it was the last class of the day, and he could go home with her to find out what was wrong.

* * *

Drake was sitting in Christine's living room as she returned from putting her books away upstairs. 

"Is something wrong?" Drake asked, jumping right to the point.

"Why?" she asked.

"You're not in a very good mood today."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Drake questioned.

"Make my problems yours. You've been doing it a lot lately. It's my life to deal with, not your's."

"It doesn't bother me. I just want to help you. Like you helped me."

Christine sighed and looked Drake up and down.

"My mom's dating someone," she finally said.

"Why is that a problem?"

"How can she do that? After all those years with my dad, she just up and dates someone else?"

"I thought you were angry at your dad. Now you sound like a hypocrite." Drake regretted saying that as soon as he heard the words tumble out of his mouth. "No, Christine, I didn't mean that."

"No, you did."

"I did not," Drake replied. He began to recall how sometimes Christine could be impossible to deal with when she wasn't happy. "I'm sorry."

Christine was sitting on the couch crying. Drake hadn't realized he'd hurt her that much. Guilt and regret ate away at his heart. How could he make her feel like that? The girl he finally admitted to himself that he cared about and he coldly cuts into her heart.

"Christine," he said, sitting beside her. "Really, I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry. Christine. Forgive me, please."

"I do. It's not that," she replied. She looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with tears. "I miss my dad, Drake. I miss him a lot. I know what he did to my mom was wrong, but before we left, he begged me to forgive him and said he loved me. I never forgave him. I feel terrible. I just want things to be the way they were. I want my dad to know I forgive him and still love him."

Drake wrapped his arms around her. The urge to comfort her was unbearable. He recalled being a frightened, small boy knowing his dad hadn't written him back a month after Christine mentioned doing something about it. Only that time, Christine hadn't been there to even attempt to make him feel better. When your dad is missing from your life, part of you feels ripped away. A feeling Drake had spent the last six years trying to hide.

"It's not too late to do something," Drake finally said. "You can still tell him."

"I know, but what if my mom doesn't like it?" she replied.

"That shouldn't matter. He's your _father_. You should know him."

"A month and a half?"

"It's never too late."

* * *

"Josh, I need your help," Drake said, rushing into his bedroom and shutting the door. 

"With what?" Josh asked. "You didn't start hitting on other guys' girlfriends again, did you?"

"No," Drake responded, irritated. "I need your help because I'm going to do something. The problem is, Mom will flip, but someone needs to know. But if I tell Mom before, she'll try to stop me. You might too, but at least I'll still get to do this."

"Okay," Josh said, slightly confused. "What are you going to do?"

* * *

A/N: Nope, I didn't forget...I decided to be evil and leave it a cliffy. You do get to find out what Drake is doing in the next chapter. Like I said, four chapters to go. I made Drake a bit sensible in this chapter, but I think I also made him a bit foolish as well, and you'll see why by the story's end. By the way, I love reviews. :P


	10. Chapter Nine: Time to Face the Truth

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: Good to hear you're all liking it and are curious. The moment some of you have been waiting for...Amanda, let's see if your inkling is correct.

_Chapter Nine: Time to Face the Truth_

* * *

It was finally spring break, and Christine stood outside her dad's house in San Francisco. She was scared. This was difficult. She pulled out her cell phone and called Drake. For some reason, she needed him for this. She'd felt very alone in her feelings until she finally got to San Diego and found Drake again. Though it was apparent he wasn't fully prepared to take on the promises he'd made when they were eleven, he was now. Well, except the marriage one. That had been an "in the moment" type of thing, and they weren't in a relationship like that anyway. That wouldn't happen. 

"Hello?" Drake said when he picked up his phone.

"Hi," Christine said. "I'm in front of his house. Drake, I'm scared. What if he doesn't accept..."

"He will. He's your dad. He loves you."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am."

"Thanks," she said. She paused, she heard the sounds of flights being announced over Drake's phone. "Where are you?"

"JFK."

"Huh?"

"Airport."

"Hold it, you're in New York?"

"Yes."

Christine closed her eyes. She knew how much it took for him to get there. She just wanted this to work for him.

"Good luck, Drake."

* * *

"Josh!" Audrey called. 

"Yeah?" he asked, walking out of the kitchen.

"Where's Drake?"

"Um..." Josh froze in place. _Gee Mom, he decided he'd go to New York to see your ex-husband for a week. He thought it might bother you, so he didn't tell you._ "I believe right about now he's at the airport."

"Why the airport? When's he going to be back?"

"Probably in a few days."

"What? I thought you meant he was dropping off a friend."

"No, that'd be impossible to drive that far."

"What? The airport's only..."

"He's not at our airport."

"Then where...?"

"He's at JFK."

"What!" Audrey exclaimed. "Why is he in New York? Alone I might add? Oh, my baby is alone in New York City."

"Mom, relax," Josh said. "I'm sure Drake can take care of himself. He's not stupid. He's got street smarts."

"But, why...?" Audrey's face fell. She knew why. "He's going to see him."

"Yeah," Josh replied. Drake had been right. Josh did try to talk him out of it, but he went anyway. If it had been their mom, it would have been a different story, which was why he left very early that morning to catch a flight. "He just wants to know what happened."

"I see," Audrey said. "I can understand. I hope he gets his answers." Audrey left the room. Her little boy was growing up. It was happening quickly. She just hoped he could still hang on to what was left of his childhood, even though it was fading fast.

* * *

Drake stood outside the door of his dad's house. It was on Staten Island. Drake felt the blood pumping around his head. He felt slightly sick. His stomach was twisted in knots. His face was hot. He felt like he would faint. He rang the doorbell in case that did happen, at least then it was likely that someone would open the door and call him an ambulance if he did faint. 

A woman of about thirty answered the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Drake stared at her. He knew who she was. The woman who had replaced his mother in his dad's, er, Ford's heart. Drake wasn't too sure about calling him "Dad" anymore. He'd have to see what had happened over the course of six years.

"I'm looking for Ford Parker," Drake said.

"He's not home right now," she said. "He won't be back until 5:30. Then he'll be home for dinner." She began to close the door.

"Wait," Drake said. He didn't want it to end this way. Not now. If he left, he'd never come back. He had been too reluctant to drive to the airport. He'd been too reluctant to get on the plane. He'd been too reluctant to get a cab and get this far. If he turned back, it was the end. "I really need to talk to him. This is extremely important."

"What could a sixteen-year-old boy that I've never met have to do with my husband?" she questioned.

Drake sighed. He wouldn't get anywhere unless he told her.

"I'm seventeen, and I'm his son."

The woman stood in the doorway for a moment. She looked closely at Drake. She sighed. It was him. She'd only seen pictures of him when he was small, but there was no mistaking that this was Ford's son. She couldn't turn him away now.

"Would you like to come in and wait?" she asked. "I can get you something to eat."

As hungry as Drake was, it wasn't her job to feed him. It was _his_ mom's. Well, she shouldn't be completely obligated, but she was the only woman older than himself who he'd let prepare food for him. If a girl he was dating did it for him, well, that was a plus.

"No thank you," he said. He knew if he didn't mind his manners, he wouldn't get very far. "I'll just wait."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then come in," she replied.

Drake stepped inside. He glanced around. The woman led him to the living room. He saw photographs of his dad and the woman in the room with him. And a little boy who looked about five in the most recent pictures. Drake felt his heart break. Had he been replaced like his mom had? And what about Megan?

"I have to go get dinner ready," she said. "Ford should be home soon. Have a seat if you like."

She left Drake alone in the room. He didn't know what to think of her. He couldn't be angry with her. It wasn't like Audrey hadn't remarried. She had waited a long time though. She had waited until she found someone she really loved, who wanted what she wanted. His dad had apparently moved on quickly. Especially if the boy in the pictures was five.

Drake realized he really didn't know what he expected out of all of this. Was his dad really going to acknowledge his existence this time? It was almost impossible to not. Drake would be standing in front of him, in the flesh. No letters to "get lost", no emails to "accidently" delete, no phone calls to "miss". The only way he'd get away now was to run, but he had already done that, hadn't he?

The boy from the pictures ran into the room. Drake looked at him. He looked like a Parker. He knew this boy was his brother, but it was hard to put those feelings into place. The boy had stopped when he noticed Drake. Drake didn't blame him. It must have been confusing for a five-year-old to run into his living room and notice a complete stranger standing there without his mom or dad around.

"Who are you?" asked the boy.

"Drake," Drake replied. Last names weren't something he wanted to get into with a child that small, especially one who shared his.

"What are you doing here?" the boy questioned.

Drake normally enjoyed kids. He loved when he had to babysit Megan or her and her friends sometimes. She was actually nice then, and her friends were okay. They liked him because he got them in to see _Ghost Monsters_ and took them all to Chuckie Cheddar's once. Sure, when he had to become a big sibling, he was probably one of the worst big siblings in history, but when he was brought into the situation, it was either that or go back to remedial English, which made it feel like work. Drake hated work. It didn't help when Mrs. Haifer said she hoped it would teach him responsibility. He hated school, so learning wasn't up his alley. Drake didn't know whether he could feel anything for the child asking him questions or not. Just like his dad's new wife, it wasn't this boy's fault, but it didn't help any.

"Bobby," said the boy's mother, walking into the room. "Leave this boy alone. He's waiting for your dad to come home."

"_This boy." I'm his brother._ The boy followed his mother into the kitchen. Drake watched. He felt slightly insulted. He shook his head and glanced at the clock. It was almost 5:30. He was glad his dad would be home soon. Many times he thought about getting up and leaving, but he felt he had to do this. If he wasn't going to do it for himself, he'd do it for Megan, who had barely known their dad. Drake heard the front door open. He sighed. This was it.

* * *

A/N: Another cliffy...maybe I'm getting too evil. Things will be cleared up tomorrow. Three chapters to go. Then I'll have to finish up the second part, which I got kind of stuck on. Anyway, thanks Allie for the airport info since I forgot that one of the major airports in New York is JFK. That was interesting...oh, yeah...that's it... Mmm-hmm. Okay, so please review, and tomorrow, well, Drake's going to make a few decisions. 


	11. Chapter Ten: So Who Am I Now?

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this. Oh, and for this chapter...I don't own "Boy Meets World" either. I don't own the song "I Want to Be Loved" either. That was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and John Shanks and is performed by Bon Jovi. Yes, one of the lines is where I got the chapter title.

Author's Note: And so the angsty part begins. Not super angsty, but Drake is NOT happy about his situation.

_Chapter Ten: So Who Am I Now?_

* * *

Drake stood in the center of the living room. His heart began to pound. It was the only thing he could hear. Other than the beating, he heard silence. A silence that he hated. The silence that only existed when he cried about his dad when he was little. The silence that Christine had managed to break, but even that didn't last long when she moved away. What would happen? What was his dad going to say? Did he expect everything to be okay because of this one visit? 

Drake didn't hear his dad greet his wife. He didn't hear her tell him someone was there to see him. A seventeen-year-old boy. He didn't hear his dad chuckle and wonder what a boy that age would want with him. Drake only shot back to reality when he was greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Okay, so not exactly the friendliest greeting.

"Six years and that's all you can say?" asked Drake.

"Does your mother know where you are?" his dad continued, ignoring Drake's question.

"I'm sure by now my step-brother has told her," Drake replied. He made a decision not to answer anymore of his dad's questions. He came to him for answers. His dad owed him answers. "I wanted to talk to you. About me and Megan."

"I don't..."

"You OWE me answers. You walked out on us and stopped contacting me. Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

"I..."

"No, you don't."

Drake's father glanced up at his wife who was standing in the doorway.

"Sweetie," began Drake's father. "Why don't you take Bobby out to dinner. I have to have a long talk with Drake."

"Alright," she agreed. She didn't argue that she'd already made dinner. She could see this was going to be a very difficult situation. She quickly got Bobby ready to leave.

"You're just assuming that I left without good reason," his father stated.

"No, I'm not. How could you walk out on your wife and two children? How?"

"Audrey and I weren't in love anymore."

"So instead of dealing with it like a responsible adult you ran away?"

"That's not what I did."

"Look at where you are! You're on the other side of the country!"

"I never meant to lose contact with you Drake."

"What do you mean you never meant to lose contact? You're the one who dropped it!" Drake was becoming angry with Ford.

"Maybe I did, but that was only because it was becoming too difficult."

"Too difficult to write to your son once a week or call? Too difficult to let me know you cared?"

"I thought it would bother your mother."

"That shouldn't matter. You're my father!"

"Maybe, but Audrey..."

"Is understanding. She was angry with you while you were working through the divorce, but I've never seen her angrier than when you didn't respond to me anymore. I figured she should be angry because you're the one who really broke your wedding vows. The promises."

"Drake, I..."

"No, listen. What you did hurt a lot. I felt like you didn't want me for a son anymore. I lost my dad. A dad I needed."

"Drake, I'm sorry. If I could take it all back I would. I regret what I did..."

"If you really were sorry, I wouldn't be here having this conversation with you right now. You would have stayed in touch with me. Don't get me wrong. I've forgiven you. I can never forget it though."

"Look, you've got a brother now, and..."

"Does he even know I exist? Have you told him about me? As far as I'm concerned, the only brother I have is Josh."

"He's your step-brother."

"Family is more than blood. Josh and Walter—Dad—will always be there for me. And what about Megan? That's the worst of all. She knows nothing about the man who is supposed to be her father."

Ford looked at Drake. It was true, he hadn't told Bobby about his older brother or sister. What could he do now?

"What do I do? Tell him? Is that what you want?"

"I only want you to tell him if you really think of me as your son and Megan as your daughter still. By my standards, you shouldn't. You left us."

"Drake, I'm sorry."

"I told you I forgave you, but I can't do anymore than that."

Drake decided the best thing to do at this point was to leave. Ford was filled with regret, but Drake knew that he was the one who left. He took off on his family. It drove Drake insane.

"I think it's time for me to go," Drake said. "I'll see myself out."

Drake walked away, part of him hoping for Ford to call out to him, but he didn't. Drake finally made his way outside and got a cab. He really needed to clear his head. He needed to think about who he himself was.

* * *

Drake lie on the bed in his hotel room, the remains of a pizza on the small table across the room. He figured he'd have to be some kind of a moron to walk the streets of New York completely alone at night. Not to mention his mom would kill him. He was thinking about what Ford had said. Did he really think telling Bobby would make everything better? Drake knew it wouldn't. 

Ford said he and Audrey weren't in love anymore. That was quite obvious because they weren't together anymore. Drake decided to ignore that comment.

Then Ford said he didn't run away. What did he call packing his bags and catching the next flight to New York, then? He had simply left Drake a letter by his pillow telling him to email him. That was it. Nothing to Audrey. Nothing to Megan. Of course, Megan was too young, and his problems were with Audrey. No, he'd left the letter for Drake because he was his only son. The only one who would remember. Then again, it seemed that the plan backfired. Had Drake just been a small anchor while Ford got himself in order? It broke Drake's heart when the letters stopped coming. Ford had run away. Run away from his family and the one boy who needed him.

Drake got up and left his hotel room. He headed down the hall to the vending machines. While walking, he stared at the doors of other rooms that he quickly passed. It was difficult to think about everything Ford said. He finally got to the vending machine. He put in his dollar and hit the button for a Mocha Cola. He carried it back to his room. Next, he got up to fill his ice bucket. He was stalling. He didn't want to think about Ford. He finally got back to his room and filled one of the disposable hotel cups with ice and some Mocha Cola. He lie back on the bed. He began to think again. He decided he might as well. He wasn't going to come to a conclusion any sooner or easier.

Ford had said he didn't mean to lose contact. If that was true then why did he? He had six years to pick up the phone or write a letter or send an email. Drake would have taken any form of contact. Anything to know that Ford still loved him. It didn't come. Drake was left to assume Ford no longer cared. It wasn't that difficult to dial a phone number or write or type a quick hello. As far as his mother's approval, she was angry with Ford for dropping contact as well.

Bobby. Maybe someday Bobby would know Drake, but he couldn't be his brother now. He was only five and would never understand anything that was happening. If he did, well, that'd be sometime in the future. Drake decided to wait that one out. It wasn't Bobby's fault. None of it was.

As far as Drake was concerned, though, Josh was his brother and Walter was his dad. That was the way things were the past two years and always would be.

Part of what ate away at Drake as he swallowed the last of his Mocha Cola was that perhaps he dated a different girl every week and could hold onto a relationship for no more than a month was the fact that he was afraid he was going to really hurt the girls the way Ford had hurt his mother. He could tell the divorce was painful for her, but him running away the way he did hurt her even worse. Drake eventually got used to his dating system, and it become natural to him, and that was okay because he found out he liked girls a lot, but it all started because he was afraid of becoming Ford.

That was whatmade him scared to tell Christine how he felt. How could he ever break his best friend's heart? This was why he was slowly fading out of his old dating ways. He found someone he actually did care about and showed him why he was the way he was. Or at least pushed him to find out what that was. That was what made his feelings for her different. He knew what it was like to be cared about and what it was like to care for someone else. She made him want more from a girl than a pretty face and pleasure. She made him want a relationship because he knew how willing she was to care about him. It was a wonderful feeling. A feeling that had been missing from his life for a long time.Yet, he was changing his dating habits, and that frightened him, so he didn't say anything to Christine because he only knew one way to date. Basically, date once or twice, possibly a month, then quit before anyone can run. He'd learned this from Ford because Drake knew how it felt to be hurt by someone you cared about, and he didn't want to give anyone that kind of pain. Of course, it turned into a habit, and he loved it. He was fighting in his head about whether to tell Christine the truth or not.

Drake recalled an episode of "Boy Meets World" that was like this. Angela wouldn't tell Shawn she loved him, even though she did. She broke up with him because she was afraid she'd leave him the way her mother left her dad. That ended happy. She realized she wasn't her mother. Did that apply to real life? "Boy Meets World" always had a happy ending, except for the episode where Shawn and Jack's father died. Everything that happened to Cory in his life though was generally given a happy ending, even if it took a few episodes. Life wasn't like that. Things didn't happen that way. You had to make your own choices. And Ford had chosen to leave his family behind. There was no way Drake would make a choice like that. He knew the pain it caused. So, why was he scared to tell Christine about how he felt? Hadn't he already quit dating other girls because he wanted to spend time with her? Candice had been right about one thing the day he and Christine ran into her. He had made a mistake with the Cambrie twins. A mistake he never wanted to make again. He should tell Christine how he felt. Then again, she'd told him there was someone else. He sighed. The only way to know was to ask. He'd deal with that when she got home from San Francisco.

He turned on the television. There was some kind of concert on VH1 and Bon Jovi was playing. He stopped and listened to the song.

_I had a roof overhead  
Had shoes on my feet  
Yeah, sure I was fed  
But no one was there when I was in need, yeah_

_So who am I now?  
Who do you want me to be?  
I can forgive you but I won't re-live you  
I ain't the same scared kid I used to be_

_I'm gonna live, I'm gonna survive  
I don't want the world to pass me by  
I'm gonna dream, I ain't gonna die  
Thinking my life was just a lie  
I wanna be loved  
I wanna be loved_

_I found a picture  
Our so-called family tree, yeah  
I broke all the branches, lookin' for answers  
Don't you know that ain't how it's supposed to be?_

_I'm gonna live, I'm gonna survive  
I don't want the world to pass me by  
I'm gonna dream, I ain't gonna die  
Thinking my life was just a lie  
I wanna give, I'm ready to try  
Willing to lay it on the line  
I wanna be loved  
I wanna be..._

_I ain't gonna cry, I don't wanna scream  
But I got so much left unsaid inside of me_

_I'm gonna live, I'm gonna survive  
I don't want the world to pass me by  
I wanna dream, I ain't gonna die  
Thinking my life was just a lie  
I wanna give, I'm ready to try  
Willing to lay it on the line  
I wanna be loved  
I wanna be loved  
I just wanna be loved  
I wanna be loved  
I wanna be loved  
I wanna be loved_

"Story of my life," Drake said. He sighed and picked up the phone next to his bed. He dialed the airport and reserved a flight to go home the next day. He wasn't going to stay. There was no reason to stay. His family was in San Diego.

* * *

A/N: What? Me use a Bon Jovi song? Seriously though, I thought it described what was going on with Drake pretty well. People can interpret the song anyway they like...but I thought it worked here. I also threw in a little extra Bon Jovi reference as well. People who have heard the Have a Nice Day album will get it. If you only listen to what's on the radio, well, you won't get it at all. 

Like I said before, if you don't agree with the decisions Drake makes, don't worry. They may change, or they might not. For now, he will do his best to stick to his decisions in the last two chapters. But remember, he can only do his best.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Drake, Not Ford

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

_Chapter Eleven: Drake, Not Ford_

* * *

Drake walked through the door of the house. He closed it quietly. He just wanted to get his stuff upstairs and get something to eat before his parents caught him. 

"Drake?" said Audrey.

Drake sighed. He should have known he wouldn't get away with it. He glanced in his mom's direction. She didn't look upset, but she didn't look happy either.

"How long am I grounded?" Drake asked.

"Did you talk to him?" Audrey asked, ignoring Drake's question.

"Yes," Drake replied.

"Did you get the answers you were hoping for?"

"Not the ones I wanted to hear, but I got answers," Drake stated. He made his way to the living room and sat down on the couch.

"What happened?" Audrey continued to question.

"He seems to regret it, but he also seemed to be making up excuses. He'd blame you or say it was too hard."

"I see," Audrey said. "Did you two gain any kind of relationship back?"

"No," Drake replied. "It doesn't really bother me either. He got married again and had a son. Bobby. He appears to have completely moved on."

"I'm sorry, Drake."

"No, it's okay. I know that I don't want to be like him that way. I don't want to run away from anything, which means there's something I have to do soon." He wasn't going to run from his feelings anymore. Christine was going to know how he felt about her, even though he saw the potential of this ruining their friendship if she didn't feel the same way.

"I'm glad you found something in this." Audrey stood. "Now what in the world were you thinking flying to New York all by yourself?" she began to scold. "You could have been killed. Someone could have kidnapped you. I hate to think what would have happened. Don't you ever do something like this again!" She began to head to the kitchen.

"So how long am I grounded?" Drake asked again, this time quite certain he'd receive an answer.

"You're not," Audrey replied, as she turned from him. _After everything Ford's put you through, you've been punished enough.

* * *

_

Drake got upstairs and was met by Josh. Josh didn't ask about it. He figured Drake wouldn't want to talk about it. However, Drake didn't care what Ford did anymore. It didn't matter. He should focus on the people who loved him. His mom, Megan, Josh, and Walter—his dad. And Christine, at least he hoped. He knew she loved him as a friend, but he didn't know about any other way.

"You're not going to ask me about how awesome New York is?" Drake asked Josh. Josh looked puzzled at Drake's comment.

"Well, you really weren't there that long," Josh replied.

"No, I didn't really see much, but you're acting like I'll bite your head off if you ask me about it."

"You would be willing to talk about it?"

"I don't care Josh. He's not my dad anymore, Walter is. It was very clear when I talked to him yesterday that he regrets what he's done, but he doesn't feel as much remorse as he should. Who walks out on their family anyway? No, he's not 'Dad' anymore."

"Wow. You've grown up a lot these past couple months," Josh said.

"I guess you can't stay a kid forever. Of course, it's definitely not as easy as everyone else thinks."

"No way. Hey, you want to go get some pizza? My treat."

"How do I say no to that?"

"Cool," Josh responded. He grabbed his wallet, and the two guys headed out the door. Josh hoped these changes in Drake were for the better. He hoped he'd take a bit more responsibility to the people he cared about now. He also hoped he'd finally say something to Christine. The idea of Drake not trying to get a date with a girl he really liked was weird for Josh.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not grounded?" Josh asked between bites of pizza. 

"I'm not," Drake replied. "Mom said I wasn't."

"Dude, how does that work?"

"I guess it's just because of what I found out. I hate what he's done to shut me out, but I guess this is life now, and I have to deal with it."

"So what do you plan on dealing with?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I recall, the past few weeks you've been wrestling with your feelings toward a good friend of yours."

"Josh..." Drake began. He didn't like to be bothered about this. He knew what he had to do, but he was really nervous about doing it in the first place. Josh wasn't helping by bugging him about it.

"Sorry. I just think you should talk to her."

"I am going to talk to her."

"You are? That's great."

"I just worry..."

"You? Worried about talking to a girl?"

"Well, what if she doesn't feel the same way? She wanted to date someone else before, why would that have changed?"

"Drake, just talk to her. You care about her. Don't let her go."

"You're right. I just made her promises I want to keep."

"That sounds familiar. Except you don't normally keep promises to the other girls."

"She's not going to be just another girl. They all shouldn't have been 'just another girl' either. I did it because I was scared. Though, I did grow to like them a lot, which is obvious."

"Oh, yeah. Ironically enough, the first girl you ever hung out with had cooties."

"Okay, I never should have told you that."

"Too late. Man, I should spread that one. 'Drake Parker Experiences Case of Cootiephobia.' There's a headline."

"Cootiephobia?" Drake asked, laughing.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "Maybe the school newspaper will take that. Hmm...you'd lose your fanclub. That might not be the best idea. Unless you're ready to leave that behind," Josh said. He recalled Tori. Drake dated her and dumped her because he was scared of commitment. Drake found he really liked her and, after a mess, got back together with her. Then he broke up with her again because "things got boring," as Drake had put it.

Drake sat a moment and reflected. Yes, if he went through with what he wanted to say to Christine, there would be no more seeing other girls. It would mean committing to someone for a long time. Drake decided that Christine was worth all that, especially after everything she'd done for him. There were times in his childhood when he thought he couldn't be happy, but she played with him and made him feel wanted. She was also the one who put the idea in his head to go to New York in the first place. Besides, Drake wasn't Ford.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

Author's Note: I had to throw in a little brotherly bonding. Everyone loves that. Yes, one chapter left. Now, you won't know who Christine was telling Drake she liked before until part two...because I'm evil that way. However, Drake is going to pick Christine up from the airport. You'll see how that goes tomorrow. There is going to be a delay between this and part two. Part two isn't complete yet. I'm still playing around with ideas for it. I do have chapters written, but it's no where near ready to be posted. One more chapter of this part to go. 


	13. Chapter Twelve: Revealing Emotions

Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.

Author's Note: I would have had this up last night, but was being worked on itself, so I couldn't upload...and I didn't really want to risk losing the story. Anyway, this is the final chapter of part one. Also the shortest, but hey, whatever. You'll find out why. Drake will pick Christine up from the airport...

_Chapter Twelve: Revealing Emotions_

* * *

Drake bounced from one foot to the other, like a child impatiently waiting for the person behind the counter to hand him an ice cream cone. He was waiting for Christine's flight to land. He just wanted to see her, to tell her how things had gone. To find out how her time with her dad had gone. He'd hoped she'd connected with her dad on some level, even if he hadn't with Ford. 

Drake stopped bouncing and sat down in a chair. He looked at his watch. It would be about ten minutes until her plane landed. He was nervous because he was not only going to talk to her about what happened between him and Ford and her and her dad, but he was going to tell her about his feelings for her. He pulled out Josh's G-O that he'd "borrowed." Maybe he'd grown up about relationships, but he was still the same old Drake Parker with everything else. Drake scanned through Josh's playlists. What was it with him and Clay Aiken? Drake was too absorbed into looking through Josh's playlists (what did this kid listen to anyway?...he half expected to see "Hot Potato" on the list) when Christine walked into the airport after getting off of her plane.

"Drake," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. He jumped.

"Oh, hi," he responded. Drake was picking her up since her mom needed to work that day. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah," she replied, glancing around. "Just one...oh, there he is." She walked up to a guy who looked about her age. Drake squirmed for a second. Nothing to worry about. She kissed the guy on the cheek. Okay. Potential problem. The guy wrapped his arm around her as they walked back toward Drake. Drake felt his heart start to sink. "Hey," Christine said. "This is David."

"Hi," Drake said, reaching out his hand for David to shake.

"Hey," said David. "Wow, you're Drake. I've heard a lot about you. I thought I'd have to get jealous for a little while."

That said everything. She was seeing him. It wasn't really good friends or cousins. She was seeing him. Drake couldn't believe it. She was seeing him. What was he supposed to say now? She was seeing him. He couldn't. She was seeing him.

"Well, I've heard almost nothing about you," Drake replied. Maybe that sounded bitter, but Drake didn't know how else to respond.

"We'll have to fix that before I leave," said David, smiling.

"We better get to the car," Drake continued. He just wanted to get out of there, get them to where they needed to be and go home and be alone.

Drake didn't say much during the drive to Christine's house. She and David did most of the talking. They sounded like old friends. Very good old friends. He was glad to get to Christine's house. He went to help her bring her bags inside, but David did that.

"Uh, I've got to go," Drake said.

Christine turned back around to look at Drake. She motioned to David to go into the house.

"Is something wrong?" Christine asked.

"No," Drake replied.

"I know when something's bothering you," she pressed.

"I'm just kind of tired."

"Drake, he's not replacing you, if that's what you're thinking. He may be my boyfriend, but I'll always need my best friend."

Drake stared at her. That wasn't what he thought at all. It was more the pain of caring about her deeply and him showing up as her boyfriend.

"He's only here for a few days. His spring break is next week," she continued. "He was a friend of mine when we lived in San Francisco, and things clicked when I visited my dad, which went great by the way. I'm so happy. Thank you for pushing me, Drake. I couldn't have done that without your help. I couldn't have gotten such a nice guy either."

"No problem," Drake replied. "Well, I've got to go. I'll see you later."

No hug. No "that's great!" Christine knew there was something else wrong with him as she watched him drive away. What that was, she didn't know.

* * *

Drake got home and headed right up to his room. He climbed on his bed and leaned back against his pillow. It was his own fault. If he had told her before he left, maybe she'd be with him and not David right now. He could kick only himself for this one. 

He sighed and jumped off of his bed. He sat on the sofa and turned on the television. There wasn't much on that interested him. He didn't know whether he felt broken hearted or angry with himself. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

He thought about the past week. He had gone to New York to see Ford. That was when he realized Ford had made promises and broke them. To Audrey. To Drake. To Megan. He left. Drake had made several promises to Christine. He wanted it to be true when he said they could be together forever. He supposed it wasn't going to happen as a couple. If she cared about David, then he wasn't going to mention his feelings to her. He didn't want to ruin her relationship with him. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Drake cared about her too much to ruin her relationship like that. He wouldn't get in the way. He'd stand aside. It was the only way he could keep his promise. He didn't want to end up hurting her like Ford hurt his mom. He didn't want to hurt her like her dad hurt her mom. He really broke the wedding vows. It was devastating to everyone it effected. We've all made promises, but only those strong enough are able to keep them. And Drake knew that was the difference between he and Ford.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, you're all thinking Midie is the most evil fanfic writer at the moment, but let's be realistic for a second...what does happen when you wait to tell your crush how you feel about them? That's what I thought. So, I know Megan and Walter weren't in this story, but they will appear in part two. Be on the look out for that in the next week or so, depending on how long it takes me to finish it. 


End file.
